I still remember the story clearly.

When someone asked a man who had been a satanist but was now living for Christ how a Christian could defeat the attacks of the enemy, the man immediately answered with one word, “Prayer.”

Yet so many Christians are told they should pray, few are told how. How do you wield this weapon that God has given you to help fight the battles the enemy throws your way?

The answer, practice.

Just as a soldier trains for battle through constant practice, so we as Christians train for prayer in much the same way.  

If you are new to prayer, or just need a refresh, I’d like to share four prayer points that are easy to practice.

Pray the Word back to God.

One of our first prayer points is to pray the Word back to God. This is one of the most powerful ways to pray that I know.

When you are reading your Bible and come across a scripture that speaks to your heart, you can turn that scripture into a prayer.

For example.

Suppose you are reading Psalm 147:3, which reads, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (NIV).

You can pray a prayer based on that scripture. It might go something like this:

Thank you, father, that you heal my broken heart, and bind up the wounds within my heart. Lord, I invite you to do just that. I surrender all my brokenness, hurts and wounds to you, and ask that You would go to work in me now, bringing me to a place of healing. Thank You, that you hear my prayer, you care about my broken heart, and as I follow your lead, you will bring me to a place of healing. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

Or, if you’re struggling with something like fear, you could base your prayer on 2 Timothy 1:7, which reads:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (NKJV).

A prayer from that verse could be:

Thank You, Father God, that you have not given me a spirit of fear, but you’ve given me a spirit of power, love and of a sound mind. Help me grow in knowing your power, your love for me, which casts out all fear (See 1 John 4:18), and free me from anxiety and fear so that I can have a sound mind and be at peace, knowing you’ve got me in your hands. Help me, Father, to leave fear behind and grow in truly knowing who You are and how much You love me. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

As you grow in knowing the Word of God through regular reading and scripture memory, you will grow stronger in knowing how to pray that Word back to God.

Gratefulness

Another one of our prayer points is gratefulness. I know what it’s like to let your circumstances get you down. If you let it, that circumstance can constantly be on your mind, affecting your mood and your outlook on life.

Start your morning off thinking of just one thing to be thankful for and say a small prayer of thanksgiving for that thing. You may find that as you do, more things come to mind that you are thankful for.

Try this for one week and see how it affects the rest of your day.

Guidance

Another one of our prayer points has to do with asking for wisdom, direction, or guidance. Throughout our days we have many decisions to make, but when we ask for wisdom and guidance, God hears our prayers, and we can be sure that He will lead us in the way we should go.

Some scriptures to pray back to God about guidance are:

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (NKJV).

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left (NKJV).

Turn these scriptures into prayers of your own and use them as prayer points to ask God to direct your steps.

Protection

Another one of our prayer points can be a prayer for protection.

Psalm 91 is a great prayer that you can use as a prayer guide when you are praying for protection. Mark it in your Bible and return to it every day to read through it and pray for protection.

Conclusion

One of our greatest Christian weapons is prayer. As you’ve seen from these four prayer points, you can pray the Word back to God, practice gratefulness, and ask God to give you wisdom and direction, and protection throughout your days.

I would love to hear how you’ve implemented these prayer points into your life, leave a comment below.

In His love,

Carolyn